Saturdays: Hair Edition

I remember having standing appointments with Ms Katie on Saturdays for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, it was wash, blow dry, and curl in some ponytails. When I was a senior in elementary school (LMAO), I got the half up half down with a bump and when I was being fresh, I told her to flip the half down part.

6th grade, I experimented with a roller set. I kept my jacket on my head the whole day cause I thought I looked like Ronald McDonald. That was until this 7th grader in my band class told me the curls looked good... I guess I can take the jacket off during band class ;-)

It was in 6th grade I took a break from Ms. Katie and did my own hair, well everything except a relaxer. Man, I was hot-curling my hair EVERYDAY. One Sunday, I got up for church and saw what had become of my hair. Scraggly ends, uneven length, dull... I almost cried!! I vowed not to use the curling iron for the rest of middle school.

I succeeded. Every other Saturday, I washed my own hair and put some conditioner on that mug. I went on about my Saturday chores with a shower cap on. Rinsed, braided, and used a roller on the end. My hair grew back like wildfire. You can see it in my freshman year yearbook photo. (yech!)

In high school, I went back to Ms. Katie every two weeks but she was getting old and I was getting grown. Half up half down was only good for freshman year and she said my hair was "too thick to wrap". I told her I want my hair like Aaliyah's so she should use "TCB's Bone Strait" on me and she played me with, "No one really wants their hair bone straight. That's not healthy". *grumble* Fine. She'd wash and blow dry it then curl the ends. Flat irons weren't really out but there's a marcel beveling iron I wanted her to use... she'd use a one inch curler. Can you imagine long thick hair with a little bump at the end? Ugh.

We found another hair-dresser my sophomore year. Those Saturdays were much more fun than the ones in Ms. Katie's old lady salon. 1st of all, my hairdresser (looking back) was no older than 30. Secondly, she was in a salon of family members. She worked with her aunt, cousin, and cousin-in law. Oh, the stories of family get togethers! Hahaha! The last reason why this salon was the highlight of my every other saturday was what Ms. Connie's cousin did. HE was a barber. Yes, there was a barber in our salon! All the black men of West Palm Beach came to Al! Mangonia Park, Westward, that whole established black part of West Palm would roll thru there!

Now to be honest, it was nerve-wracking walking INTO the salon looking a hot mess. And while ms connie was the last chair, the barber's chair was right in front. I dreaded walking by dudes from high school and boys home from college with my two week band-practice hair...

Try not to make eye contact, Stace... damn! there goes Boomer!

"Hey Boomer, what's up?"

With his D'Angelo face and eyes and voice oozing like dark, masculine honey, "Chilllllin, wuss up witchu?"

"You read Fahrenheit 451 yet?" GEEK! Who talks about school on Saturday?!!?

Molasses smile and answer, "Nah, I ain't finna read that thing"

"Me neither, I'm not going to read that junk!"

You so see thru!! I bet he has x-ray vision and can see the copy you have in your bag!

"Alriiight, see you later"

I swear I talked to him more on my walk to Ms. Connie's chair than I did our 4 years in high school.

The bonus to having a barber in the salon was walking out, with keys in hands and a FRESH 'do. What?!?! Couldn't tell me NOTHING with my flat wrap! Now I head to the mall and grab that Aaliyah skirt I've been eyeing...

Ms. Connie held me down thru high school. I also remember rocking what we called the Aquarius look (front half of hair is braided or flat-twisted to scalp, back half is out) hard. And I brought the roller set back. Ms. Connie knew how to roller set my hair so they were big ringlets, not Jew Fro.

My saturday hair appointments started continued when I got to HU. Best believe, I found a salon walking distance from Hampton. And you already know my hair was done every other Saturday! It was at Hampton, I was introduced to the roller wrap. Shoutout to Shalizar!

When I came home for break, I tried to explain to ms connie what she should do to my hair and she didn't get it. She actually got mad at me for making her roller set my hair, then take it out to wrap it and stick me back under the dryer! My hair didn't come out good looking that day. I stopped going to ms connie that Saturday. She was good for high school and locals. I'm cosmo now. I'm a college student now, the Aquarius doesn't work anymore. Yeah, I know you did my hair like that the day before I left for school and that was only 2 months ago but things have changed.

Left HU and got to Tally. That's where my usual saturday ritual got funky.

TBC